SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

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SARSSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Whats New and Whats Relevant in 2005-2006?
Jeffrey S. Duchin, M.D. Chief, Communicable
Disease Control, Epidemiology and Immunization
Section, Public Health - Seattle King County
Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
University of Washington
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SARS October 2004

• Quotes from World Health Organization (WHO)

the world is in an inter-epidemic period for
SARS.
At this time, the most probable sources of
infection with SARS-CoV are exposure in
laboratories where the virus is used or stored
for diagnostic and research purposes, or from
animal reservoirs of SARS-CoV-like viruses. It
remains very difficult to predict when or whether
SARS will reemerge in epidemic form.
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SARS Whats New?

• Most recent human cases of SARS-CoV infection
• China, April 2004 outbreak from
  laboratory-acquired infections
• Currently no known SARS transmission anywhere in
  the world

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Bats Natural Reservoirs of SARS-Like
Coronaviruses

• Bats are reservoir hosts of severalzoonotic
  viruses
• e.g., Hendra and Nipah viruses
• Bats may be persistently infected with many
  viruses but rarely display clinical symptoms
• 408 bats tested from four locations in China
• Three species from the genus Rhinolophus
  (horseshoe bats) demonstrated a high SARS-CoV
  antibody prevalence
• 13/46 bats (28) in R. pearsoni from Guangxi
• 2/6 bats (33) in R. pussilus from Guangxi
• 5/ 7 bats (71) in R. macrotis from Hubei
• Li, et al (Science 2005 310676-679)

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SARS Whats Relevant in 2005-06?

• Components of SARS Response Capacity
• Command and control Incident management
• Surveillance
• Case and contact investigation and management
• Preparedness response in healthcare facilities
• Community containment measures including
  isolation and quarantine
• Managing travel-associated risk
• Laboratory diagnosis
• Communication

Based on CDCs Public Health Guidance for
Community Level Preparedness and Response to
SARS (version 2)
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Questions